Philippe cohen solal salif keita biography
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Salif Keita : Talé
[dropcap style=”font-size:100px; color:#992211;”]I[/dropcap]t seems redundant to labour the point that Mali is a crossroads of Muslim and Christian cultures in sub-Saharan Africa.
Salif Keita ‘s polyrhythmic compositions, the French inflection of his Malinke lyrics, the muezzin-call cadences of his vocal melodies and the gnälligt ljud on-the-bridge guitar chords that typify his music are that cultural crossing-point writ large.
Set against the wanton destruction of the archives of Timbuktu’s library, an skiva of songs by a venerable Malian musician becomes almost insignificant. But culture is an accretion of layers and if Talé has a part in that layering process, all the better to snub the misguided vandalism of idiots who somehow believe they are protecting the sensibilities of a religion which, in its pure form, has ever valued erudition and study.
Accepted now as a cultural father-figure in his native country, Keita ‘s relatio
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Salif Keita: “The youth are into machines… We are about to lose our traditional instruments”
Salif Keita is one of the most adventurous, gloriously soulful singer-songwriters on the planet, and a man who likes to surprise. When he released his last album Un Autre Blanc in 2018, it was announced that this would be the last studio release from the great Malian veteran. And yet here he was in 2024, sitting in a London hotel room, playing guitar and talking about his next two albums and the intimate and historic appearance he would be making at Songlines’ 25th-anniversary show at the Barbican the following day. So, no retirement then? He laughs. “People convinced me to record again. And I’m happy.”
Those lucky enough to have seen him at the Barbican will know that he’s still on remarkable form. Dressed in a magnificent gold robe and hat, he perched on a stool, playing acoustic guitar, accompanied only by the kora of Madou Diabaté, Toumani Diabaté’s younger brother. Their exqui
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Philippe Cohen Solal (Gotan Project)
Interview by Esther Adler Photos by Eilon Paz
I love tango; Tango comes from Argentina; Eilon’s parents come from Argentina; I love Eilon; Eilon loves his mother; Eilon’s mother loves tango; Eilon gave his mother a CD of Philippe Cohen Solal’s Gotan Project—a tango group with beats, breaks, and samples. Eilon and his mother listened to it together in Israel; I listened to it alone in Paris. They loved it; I loved it.
Years later, the lovely Eilon gave me the opportunity to interview Philippe Cohen Solal about his vinyl collection (really?? Oh yessss!!), which was essentially a conversation about bonding and love…
When we arrive at his apartment in the 10th arrondissement of Paris, Philippe is wearing his grandfather’s Borsalino hat from Tunisia. His home-office-studio is casually decorated with color, exquisite taste, and humor. There are many instruments—a guitar, bass, banjo, keyboards, harmonica—and vinyl of all sorts line the walls